NOCTRNL27

OK, I'm new to the RX-7 as far as technical stuff goes. I have loved them for years and just bought a 79' for my husband for nostalgic reasons. I think I may have screwed up and allowed a friend to do a synthetic oil change on her before I surprised him with it and now it's smoking beyond belief. I need your help!

84GSREX

If it hasnt been driven too long change it, from what i know synthetic is bad for the 7's,.

kgray

Drain and put in new dino oil along with a quart of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer (found at any auto parts store). Rotary engines lubricate the seals with Metering Oil Pumps (OMP/MOP) and the oil is burned so some smoke is OK. How long did it smoke? If it has sat for a while, some smoke is normal.

kgray

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=220109
There is a link to what oil is recommended for first gens found in the FAQ at the top of the section: Lots of great info there, I suggest reading it.

What weight did you use? Full Synthetic or blend?

rolfs_7

after mine hasnt been ran for a while it smokes pretty bad.....i never worry about it tho i mean i would rather have it burn some oil than let it get stuck in the cat like the rx8s did.

Kentetsu

Don't be too quick to freak out about this. Synthetic won't cause any problems for you, although it is not recommended for long term use.

What probably happened is, they looked up the required volume and got the wrong info, then overfilled the system. Check the oil level, and you will probably find that it is too full. If that's the case, then just drain some off until corrected and you should be fine.

NOCTRNL27

OK, I read the 7 page post & I'm even more confused and it's not just because I'm blond!! LOL!! Here's the facts of this situation. I bought the car from a club member right after Thanksgiving. I went to see it & I didn't notice any smoke or obvious oil leaks except for a minor leak near the filter and he said the oil pan gasket needed to be replaced which he included in the sale. I had a friend tow it to his shop to hide it from my hubby. While it was there he changed the pan gasket & did a synthetic oil change on it. The day he delivered it to me he said he felt bad because now it was smoking when he started it up. The day I surprised my husband with it, it smoked a little, when I stopped at a light & took off it left a huge cloud of thick smoke behind me. It starts right up no problems. We don't use it everyday so whenever he starts it up, it smokes so bad you can't see the car in the driveway & thought a neighbor would call the fire dept. We now have a leak on the floor of the garage. When we checked the oil yesterday it barely read on the dipstick. Is it alright for us to stick with the synthetic & maybe just go with a 20w 50 or should we go back to dyno oil? Or worse scenario , does it look like we will need a rebuild as my husband thinks?? My husband got rid of his old 79' years ago because it started smoking real bad, but regretted ever getting rid of it and is now committed to doing whatever it takes to keep this one. All advice is welcome !

DublyDurty

The smoke...is it blue or white? Sickly sweet smell? Does it go away after warm up or just get worse? Any more details would be helpful. Did the mechanic (or previous owner) put any "additive" or "sea foam" in the gas tank? You didn't put diesel in it, right (you did make the "blond" reference, not me ).

Oil on the garage floor...can you locate its specific origin (in the engine area)? Pictures may be helpful.

PS. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't think it's a "dino" vs "synthetic" oil problem.

DD

DublyDurty

Help me out guys. She said "except for a minor leak near the filter". Do the 79's have the beehive oil cooler? Is it possible the o-rings are shot and coolant is mixing with the oil...causing the smoke?

DD

NOCTRNL27

it's definitely oil burning not coolant. For the most part the thick smoke does go away after driving it a while. I drove it today and it wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday when I started it up. I few times I got on it when the light turned green and some smoke came out but no where near yesterday & the other days when we start it or drive it for a short period of time. NO, I did not put diesel in it... LOL!! I asked for that. I will take pictures. What specific view of the engine/car do you need me to take?? The leak is on the floor in the middle of the engine area.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Change back to dino oil, 10W30 for winter temps in your area. A qt of Lucas won't hurt either. SAs have the front mount oil cooler, if you have leaks under the oil filter, check the oil filter o-ring 1st, sometimes the old one is still there. If not, there are 2 o-rings under the oil filter pedistal that will need to be replaced.

Run a can of Seafoam through the fuel tank too. How many miles on the engine?

NOCTRNL27

ok here are a few pics.

http://pictures.aol.com/galleries/noctrnl27/

DublyDurty

(I love to jerk trochoids chain.) I also use dino. I simply meant that a single oil change using synthetic probably wouldn't cause "a huge cloud of thick smoke" as witnessed. You had the car towed, right? So the mechanic probably never saw it started cold (if they pushed it into the bay).

And as a side note, if you DO use Seafoam, you WILL see a huge cloud of smoke and the neighbors WILL call the fire departmant. Just be warned...

Pictures? Maybe they could show oil "pooling" on the engine from above, or where the oil is dripping from below. But remember, oil will travel from the highpoint to the low point before it drips so a good engine cleaning first may help pinpoint the source.

As others have stated, these engines do "burn" oil a matter of course, most noticeably at start up, but since your husband had a 79 before, he probably knows that.

You mentioned two problems. Oil burning, and oil leaking. Let's see what develops.

DD

NOCTRNL27

I posted the pics not sure if you saw before your last post. The car has 95K on it. Yes, it was towed. When I went to see the car there was no smoke whatsoever. not sure if the previous owner put any additivies in it.

DublyDurty

Oh yeah. One more thing. Is it possible the oil drain plug isn't tight (or missing gasket) or got cross threaded? See if it's leaking from there. We often overlook the simple solutions.

NOCTRNL27

well, we'll put it up on jacks and look over everything. Next time we start it up cold i will take a picture of how BAD it smokes and then post for your amazement.

DublyDurty

OK. And don't lose faith. There are LOTS of experts on this forum (I don't pretend to be one of them. I've just got a little experience with many of the common problems ) and they are always willing to help. They WILL help you solve your problems if you continue to offer symptoms and follow their advice on things to check.

Welcome to the forum. In my humble opinion, this is the best forum out there, because of the people who participate!

DD

NOCTRNL27

Thanks for your advice & I will look for those experts to chime in hopefully soon.
EXPERTS ??? WHERE ARE YOU?? I probably shouldn't have put the title as Synthetic oil change cause I see how it went in the thread you posted before and they all probably ran from another one...LOL!!!

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I posted, but blondes never listen to me.


Change the oil and filter, find and secure the leak, drive it and see what happens.

I neglected to welcome you to the forum and the Darkside. In my sig line is a link to the online FSMs, carb manuals, etc.

DublyDurty

See, I told you!

And FSM's are "Factory Service Manuals"...I think.........just pokin' the bear with a stick.

DD

NOCTRNL27

I did plan on listening to you trochoid. It seems that the oil leak by the filter maybe where you say the 2 O rings are because i felt around the filter and I didn't notice the oil there but beneath the pedestal it is wet. I am also concerned that the oil filter may not be correct. The one I got today appears to be shorter & wider than the one that's on it now. It was the one the computer system at the auto parts store came up with. This engine was very clean when I got it. We will see more when we get under & look at it. I will keep you posted. I can't wait to feel like a kid again & cruise to the shore. I will be looking forward to the meets here locally.

Thanks for welcoming me to the dark side.

kgray

the 2 O rings are under the peadestal (between it and the housing). Easy and Cheap fix. I've noticed that the filter mazda gave me is skinnier and taller than generic ones (my mazda one leaked too). So drain the oil, take the peadestal off, replace the O rings, put the peadestal back on, put your wider oil filter on, make sure the oil pan bolts are torqued correctly, put 3 quarts of dino oil in, put 1 quart of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer in, and finally run a can of Seafoam in 1/4 tank of gas and let us know how it works. Shouldnt cost you more than $30 and it will eliminate many possible problems.

Quicker10u

DO NOT PUT LUCAS OIL STABILIZER in any engine...That stuff is nothing but disguised motor honey and is terrible...Do not panic about the Synthetic oil. It is only a problem if used LONG-TERM...

Check the oil level, Check for any leaks. If they both look ok then start watching your coolant level. See if it is consuming any coolant..Your temperature gauge may fluctuate as well indicating this.

Other than that, you might see if a local member of the forum could take a look at it..Just my .02

NOCTRNL27

The coolant levels are fine & temp guage is normal. We will drain & replace the oil using 20w50 dyno, replace O Rings, filter & tighten oil pan. Is it ok to use Motor honey??

Kentetsu

Do your research Ken. Your low opinion of Lucas is misplaced...